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New premium outlets a 'tremendous' development for Gloucester Township, region, mayor says

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Gloucester Township Mayor David Mayer shows the plans for the Gloucester Premium Outlets to Gloucester Township residents as they stopped along Zimmerman Road to find out more information, Monday, July 15, 2013. (Staff Photo by Lori M. Nichols/South Jersey Times)

The developers responsible for the Cherry Hill Mall, Voorhees Town Center, Jersey Shore Premium Outlets and other well-known, up-scale retail centers are working on setting up their newest venture in Gloucester Township.

Gloucester Premium Outlets — a 450,000 square-foot retail outlet and commercial center planned for the area between the Black Horse Pike and Route 42, near Cooper and Zimmerman roads — has gained final local approvals and could begin construction as early as September, Gloucester Township Mayor David Mayer said.

“We hope there will be shovels in the ground in September,” Mayer said, adding the goal is to have it open by November 2014 for the holiday shopping season.

The project is a joint venture between PREIT-Rubin, Inc. and Simon Management Associates, part of Simon Property Group, the largest developer of malls and shopping centers in the nation, including the Jersey Shore Premium Outlets and Philadelphia Premium Outlets. PREIT-Rubin, part of Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, also owns and operates shopping and community centers, including the Cherry Hill and Moorestown malls, Voorhees Town Center and the Cumberland Mall.

The retail outlets would be positioned west of Cooper Road and include 415,000 square feet of space. Five commercial buildings encompassing 35,000 square feet will also be built up east of Cooper Road.

According to the site plan, approved by the township council in March, stores could include upscale, designer fashion, sportswear, shoes, fine leather, luggage, jewelry, housewares and home furnishing, specialty items and food merchants. Four food kiosks are also planned for the site, which will evoke a green “town center” in the heart of it.

“This is tremendous for Gloucester Township and the South Jersey region as a whole,” said Mayer. “This is almost 450,000 square feet of premium retail outlet stores that will bring people into Gloucester Township to spend their money in our community. It’ll generate jobs, and it’s really going to be a catalyst for future economic development.”

The 65.06-acre site, currently used as farmland, was declared a redevelopment zone in 2008 and was later amended in 2011, according to site plan paperwork. The land is owned by Cooper Health System’s subsidiary Gloucester 42 Associates, LLC.

The “town square” component of the project will provide “a sense of place for the outlet component, with a substantial lawn area, outdoor dining and seating, a play area, parklets, food and related kiosks, a water feature, a fire place shelter” and a civic plaza, according to the site plan.

The retail center will also include a “racetrack” walkway throughout the outlets for pedestrian traffic throughout the stores, it added.

“It is anticipated that the overall project will generate substantial construction and permanent jobs for Township and area residents and substantial additional real estate tax revenue for the Township as compared to the present farmland assessment,” the site plan states, adding it estimates the project will create as many as 250 temporary construction jobs and 800 full- and part-time permanent jobs.

Buffering woodlands and wetlands will be preserved under the plan, according to the site plan.

“It’s really a different design from their other stores, and I think it’s a great design for our community,” Mayer said, noting the response he’s received from residents has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Everyone I speak with is very excited about it. They understand this means not only a good ratable, it means jobs, it means having Gloucester Township as a destination area,” Mayer said.

As he was discussing the development at the site on Monday afternoon, multiple residents pulled over to stop and chat about the retail center.

"Gloucester Township has an identity problem. We have too many different ZIP codes ... so what this project does is really puts us on the map and gives us our own identity.”

The “town square” aspect is something developers of the Washington Square Project in Washington Township proposed when asking for a PILOT, or payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement, which was rejected by Washington Township council last week. The agreement was necessary for the mixed-use retail, residential and office space project, debated in the township for the past five years, to come to fruition, developers said.

It was the inclusion of 330 townhomes in the Washington Square project that spurred school district officials, the township administration and some residents to object to the project, said Council President Daniel Morley, who supported the PILOT for the revenue, jobs and economic jumpstart he said the project could bring the township.

He said he’s unaware of any more large commercial ventures being proposed for the township.

“We’re sitting in a doughnut hole of prime stuff and it’s just not happening here,” Morley said.

In order to help attract new businesses, Mayer said Gloucester Township has simplified its application process, done away with its requirement for commercial performance bonds and capitalized on its easy access to major roadways.

“What we were able to do in Gloucester Township is leverage our transportation assets into economic development,” Mayer said. “I think that’s a key reason they’re coming here.”